When fluids are transported by a pipeline, there is typically a drop in fluid pressure due to friction between the wall of the pipeline and the fluid. Due to this pressure drop, for a given pipeline, fluid must be transported with sufficient pressure to achieve the desired throughput. When higher flow rates are desired through the pipeline, more pressure must be applied due to the fact that, as flow rates are increased, the difference in pressure caused by the pressure drop also increases. However, design limitations on pipelines limit the amount of pressure that can be employed. The problems associated with pressure drop are most acute when fluids are transported over long distances. Such pressure drops can result in inefficiencies that increase equipment and operation costs.
To alleviate the problems associated with pressure drop, many in the industry utilize drag reducers in the flowing fluid. When the flow of fluid in a pipeline is turbulent, high molecular weight polymeric drag reducers can be employed to enhance the flow. A drag reducer is a composition capable of substantially reducing friction loss associated with the turbulent flow of a fluid through a pipeline. The role of a drag reducer is to suppress the growth of turbulent eddies, which results in higher flow rate at a constant pumping pressure. Ultra-high molecular weight polymers are known to function well as drag reducers, particularly in hydrocarbon pipelines. In general, drag reduction depends in part upon the molecular weight of the polymer additive and its ability to dissolve in the hydrocarbon under turbulent flow. Effective drag reducers typically have molecular weights in excess of five million or even ten million.
Typically, drag reducers are injected into a pipeline just at the discharge side of a pumping station. A pump capable of surpassing the line pressure of the pipeline is used to inject the drag reducer into the pipeline. It has been shown that additives added to drag reducers can improve the ability of drag reducers to be injected into the pipeline.
There exists a need for an additive to improve the ability of drag reducers to be injected into the pipeline without adversely affecting the formulation of the drag reducer.